Our Wildflowers started their morning with a new discovery: a moose antler that my husband had brought home from his hunting trip!
We read a little about moose antlers, passed it around to feel just how heavy it was, and shared some theories about how the moose might have lost it. One girl suggested that perhaps a coyote or bear was responsible, while another thought it might have been another moose, since moose sometimes fight each other. It was interesting to hear their different ideas as we explored this rather impressive piece of nature!
Next, we headed to the side yard with a mission: could we build a bigger leaf pile than the Seedlings had made?
The girls got right to work, experimenting with different ways to gather and transport the leaves. Some used rakes, others shovels, buckets, or wagons. They shared techniques with one another, figured out what worked best, and kept adding to their growing pile.
In the middle of all this busy work, one of the girls stopped, walked over to an oak tree whose leaves had turned red, and exclaimed, "It's beautiful!"
I loved that little moment. We were so focused on our leaf pile, but she took the time to notice something beautiful happening around us.
When we finally measured our pile, the girls were delighted to discover that they had beaten the Seedlings' record by three whole inches! After all that hard work, they enjoyed some time on the slackline before heading to the dome for a snack.
A game of Bird Bingo followed, with our oldest Wildflowers taking on the role of reading out the bird names. The girls passed the cards around so everyone could get a closer look and check their boards. It was lovely to see them naturally finding ways to make the game accessible for everyone.
After some crafting and journaling, we headed down to The Flats.
Even though we're getting close to November, there were still crickets hopping around and flowers blooming! The girls were excited by these discoveries and spent time climbing trees, investigating moss, and finding bones and stones that looked remarkably like bones.
Eventually, they noticed a man fishing in the river and settled down along the shore to watch. He kindly chatted with them as they asked questions about fishing and told him about Shadow. It was one of those unplanned little interactions that makes being out in our community so worthwhile.
We also spread out a blanket for a game of Outfoxed before beginning our walk home.
Along the way, we noticed something that had been hidden from view earlier in the season: a bird's nest, now visible in a tree that had lost all its leaves. The girls wondered whether there might be eggs inside, but after thinking about when birds typically nest, they decided it was unlikely at this time of year.
Back at the house, there was time for a little more nature journaling and one last bit of ropework to hoist them into the tree before pickup.
It was a day full of cooperation, curiosity, games, and little seasonal discoveries. From the weight of a moose antler to the beauty of red leaves, the girls found plenty to investigate and appreciate.
Thanks for a great day, Wildflowers!
